The Return! Mileage Monday

Well, I've been back from vacation for several weeks, and you're right, there's no vacation recap yet. I know I said I'd have it up soon after I got back, but it's not. It's an overwhelming task I admit it. I think of the overall picture of writing three or four posts all at once, and it's daunting. I need to look at it one post at a time, sit down, and just get it done. I've already got the web links for everything, I just need to write them up. And I was smart this time around. Rather than trying to remember where and what I ate after I got back from vacation, I wrote it all down that night.

It is coming, I just won't put a due date on it. I stress myself out that way. I'll write it when I write it. But I will write it. Had some adventures, that's for sure.

Back to Mileage Monday updates. I said I would make friends with my hand weights when I got back from vacation, and well, I did my best. The hand weights aren't the problem, it's the crunches that did me in. I think I'm going to get rid of a lot of my ab routine. I strained my neck pretty good, and aggravated a pinched nerve I have from time to time. I couldn't turn my head for about a week, well maybe not a week, but a good 4 days at least. I did go to the chiropractor, and he got it all sorted out.

Apparently, my lower back was in rough shape, because he said it was way out of whack. I didn't realize it because I had so much pain in my neck. He said "pain masks pain", and he's right. He spent longer than usual on me, and he had to do the ultrasonic therapy (heat therapy) twice on me, because I had pain still. It took several days before I could really turn my head (also bending my head backwards was painful) again. Even now, it's not quite right. A lot better than it was though.

So yes, ab routine is going away for a while. I'm not too bothered by it. My abs are strong as it is. The elliptical and Leslie Sansone DVDs take care of any ab work also. Particularly the elliptical. I'll give my hand weights another go this week and see what happens.

I've gone several miles on the virtual walk site since being back. I've now gone a total of 803.2 miles, and since my last Mileage Monday post, I've passed through Bryantsville, KY in Garrard county. I have about  3 miles until I get to Burgin, KY in Mercer county.

Here are the latest pictures!

Mile 797.8 (Leslie for 2.4 miles)

Mile 798.8 (elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 799.8 (elliptical for 1 mile)

Mile 802.2 (Leslie for 2.4 miles)

Mile 803.2 (elliptical for 1 mile)

There ya go! Hope everyone is having a great Monday so far. Keep moving!

Duro-Med Cervical Pillow Review

(Duro-Med Cervical Pillow – photo credit amazon.com)

I bought the Duro-Med Cervical Pillow about three weeks ago, and so far I think it is helping. The true test will be the next several weeks. I bought the pillow a few days after my last chiropractor appointment, and I think my neck was already starting to shift out of alignment.

Before I got the pillow, I was experiencing neck pain, upper back pain, and shoulder pain. I was warned by the chiropractor that these types of pillows were hard, and it would take some getting used to. He was right. However, when it first arrived, I laid down on it, and my neck instantly released. The stress and tension went away, and it had my head a little bit higher so my shoulder and upper back weren’t being squished.

It does indeed take some getting used to. It is a firm pillow, on the verge of being hard. But I got used to it within four to five days. I wasn’t nearly as sore as I was in the mornings. I used to wake up, and my left shoulder would take a few hours to feel normal, and even then it would ache throughout the day.

I did have to put my own pillow case on it though. It does come with a washable cover, but the zipper is jangly and loud, so I just use my own now. Using my own pillow case did make it a bit softer too.

One side has a larger curve than the other, and I do use the larger curve. I feel like I get more support using the larger side. I would recommend this pillow if you have a pinched nerve in your neck, or have any type of neck, upper back, or shoulder pain.

I will say it again, this is a very firm pillow, so don’t get frustrated or annoyed when you use it. Give it a few days to a week to make up your mind. If you’re a Prime Member on Amazon, this pillow goes for about $20. I got mine for $5 since I had a few Amazon gift cards on my account.

Since it is so firm, I do experience some ear pain (not a lot), so I make sure to turn over regularly throughout the night. That’s the most annoying part of the pillow that I can think of.

Overall I do like mine. The next several weeks will be the test for any shoulder pain. I had a chiropractor appointment this morning, and my neck was actually pretty good. It surprised me, since it’s been a whole month since my last appointment. It barely needed to be adjusted. The appointment did relieve my shoulder pain though. So we’ll see what happens from here on out.